What does it mean to be authentic? What if you don’t like certain aspects of who you believe yourself to be? In his latest post, Pete offers a way to thread that needle and achieve a new level of presence for yourself.
For more guidance around elevating your presence, check out our Presence Coaching page here.
Who should you be when you present?
It’s a question that comes up more often than you might think — especially after teams go through leadership presence coaching or executive presentation coaching and feel inspired by what they’ve seen.
They like how we sound. They like the rhythm, the phrasing, the delivery. And then they get up to present… and something feels off.
Why?
Because they’re trying to be someone else.
I’ve had people tell me, “I was trying to sound like you. I was trying to use your words.”
And the result is almost always the same.
It doesn’t land.
It feels inauthentic. Like play acting.
In business speaking, group presentation coaching, and AEC presentation skills training, audiences are incredibly sensitive to authenticity. They can feel when something isn’t quite real.
And when it’s not real, it’s harder to trust.
The goal is not to imitate someone else.
The goal is not to “perform” a version of confidence that doesn’t belong to you.
The goal is to be yourself.
But not just any version of yourself.
The best version of yourself.
In leadership confidence training and executive presence coaching, we talk about the reality that there are multiple versions of you:
Not all versions are equal.
There is a version of you that you genuinely like.
The one who shows up when you’re excited. When you care. When you want to help. When you feel connected to your message.
That’s the version to choose.
In high-stakes environments — whether it’s shortlist interview training, project interview preparation, or networking coaching — that choice matters.
Because who you are in that moment shapes how your message is received.
Confident presence isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about selecting — on purpose — the version of yourself that serves the audience best.
When you step into a presentation, a client meeting, or a sales pitch, you have a decision to make:
In AEC interview preparation and interview skills training for professionals, the individuals who stand out are not the ones copying a style. They’re the ones who are fully themselves — clear, grounded, and intentional.
They know what they want to say. They believe it has value. And they show up in a way that reflects that belief.
If you try to sound like someone else, you lose yourself.
If you choose your best self, you gain connection.
That’s what Presence Coaching is all about. That’s what leadership presence coaching is designed to unlock.
So the next time you present, don’t ask, “Who should I sound like?”
Ask, “Which version of me do I want to bring?”
And choose the one you like best.
Because in those high-pressure moments, who you are — and how you show up — makes all the difference.
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